The legislative instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part of
the legislative instrument, were prepared by Cathy Wells.
CONFERENCE COMMI TTEE REPORT DIGEST
Senate Bill No. 47 by Senator Morrell
Keyword and summary of the bill as proposed by the Conference Committee
LOCAL AGENCIES. Provides relative to the Sewerage and Water Board of the city of New
Orleans. (See Act)
Report adopts House amendments to:
1. Rejects all House committee and floor amendments.
Report rejects House amendments which would have:
1. Retained present law city council confirmation of nominees instead of Senate
confirmation.
2.Changed proposed law requirement from the mayor appointing at least one member from
each councilmanic district of his citizen member appointees to the mayor appointing at
least one member from each councilmanic district between his citizen members and
syndicate members of the board of liquidation, city debt appointees.
3. Removed appointments to board by House delegation and Senate delegation.
4. Added a four-year term of office for mayor's appointees from the syndicate members of
the board of liquidation, city debt.
5. Changed proposed law quorum from six to five.
6. Added requirement for the board to quarterly report to city council on certain matters
regarding contracts.
7. Added requirement for the board to quarterly report to city council on certain matters
regarding it's operations.
8. Authorized the mayor to disapprove the list of nominees submitted to him by the
selection committee. 9. Reduced proposed law appointments by the mayor of citizen members to the board from
six to two.
10.Added an appointment by each at-large member of the city council.
11.Provided a sunset on rate increases approved by the city council in 2012, unless such
increase proceeds are pledged to repayment of bonds.
12.Required the board to quarterly report to the city council on customer service
improvements.
Report amends the bill to:
1. Add two additional citizen members to the board appointed by the mayor.
2. Require that two of the mayor's appointments are consumer advocates with community
advocacy or consumer protection experience or experience in a related field.
3. Add requirement for the board to report quarterly to city council on certain matters
regarding contracts and operations.
4. Retain present law city council confirmation instead of Senate confirmation.
5.Change proposed law requirement from the mayor appointing at least one member from
each councilmanic district of his citizen member appointees to the mayor appointing at
least one member from each councilmanic district between his citizen members and
syndicate members of the board of liquidation, city debt appointees.
6. Add a four-year term of office for mayor's appointees from the syndicate members of the
board of liquidation, city debt.
7. Add requirement for the board to quarterly report to city council on certain matters
regarding contracts.
8. Add requirement for the board to quarterly report to city council on certain matters
regarding it's operations.
Digest of the bill as proposed by the Conference Committee
Present law provides that the public water, sewerage, and drainage systems of the city of New
Orleans shall be constructed, controlled, maintained, and operated by the Sewerage and Water Board of the city of New Orleans.
Present law provides that the board is composed of the mayor, three members of the city council,
one of whom is required to be an at-large member of the council, two members of the board of
liquidation, city debt, and seven citizens, appointed by the mayor, two at large and one from each
of the five council who are subject to confirmation by the city council.
Proposed law provides for the board to be composed of the mayor, two syndicate members of
the board of liquidation, city debt, and eight members appointed by the mayor from a list of
nominees submitted by the Sewerage and Water Board Selection Committee. The mayor's
appointments shall include one member from each of the five councilmen's districts within the
city of New Orleans and two members who shall be consumer advocates with community
advocacy or consumer protection experience or experience in a related field. The citizen
appointees are subject to confirmation by the city council.
Proposed law requires that each citizen member shall be a registered voter in Orleans Parish
and shall be domiciled in the parish of Orleans for two years previous to his appointment.
Proposed law creates the Sewerage and Water Board Selection Committee and provides a
process for selecting a nomination pool of applicants. Also provides that the members of the
Selection Committee will be comprised of the president, chancellor, chair, board of directors
or respective designee of Dillard University, Loyola University, Tulane University, Xavier,
Delgado Community College, University of New Orleans, Southern University at New
Orleans, New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, New Orleans Regional Black Chamber of
Commerce, and the Urban League of Greater New Orleans.
Proposed law requires each nominee to have experience in either architecture, environmental
quality, finance, accounting, business administration, engineering, law, public health, urban
planning, facilities management, public administration, science, construction, business
management, community or consumer advocacy or other pertinent discipline.
Present law provides that terms of board members are nine years.
Proposed law reduces terms of the eight citizen members and two syndicate board of
liquidation, city debt members appointed by the mayor to four years and prohibits a member
from serving more than two consecutive terms of office. Also provides that in the event any
appointed member is elected to any office or removes his residence from Orleans Parish, his
membership on the board is ipso facto vacated, and his successor shall be immediately
appointed.
Present law provides that a quorum of the board is seven members and requires a vote of
board members to change rules adopted by the board.
Proposed law changes the quorum of the board to six members and requires a quorum vote to
adopt or change rules. Present law provides for board membership when redistricting or election to office or change
in residency occurs.
Proposed law repeals such provisions.
Proposed law requires that in addition to the detailed annual report to the city council detailing
acts, doings, receipts and expenditures of the board, the board is to make quarterly reports to
the city council relative to contracts let in the construction and repair of its public systems of
water, sewerage, and drainage. Proposed law enumerates the items to be included in the
report.
Proposed law also requires the board to report to the city council quarterly on its operations.
Provides that such report shall include, in a manner prescribed by the council, certain items
including standard industry metrics for best practices, fraud prevention, employee and
contractor performance metrics, benchmarks on coordination of board and department,
efficiency and effectiveness of information systems, assessment and status and strategies for
technologies and operation programs and assessment and status of operational reforms, capital
improvement programs, and service assurance programs.
Proposed law provides that the terms of the members of the Sewerage and Water Board for the
city of New Orleans in office on the effective date of this Act shall terminate on the effective
date of this Act; however, any such member remains in office until his successor is appointed
and takes office.
Effective on the first day of Jan. following an election at which a majority of the voters of the
city of New Orleans approve an amendment to the home rule charter of the city to change the
composition of the board to provide the identical composition of the board as contained in
proposed law.
(Amends R.S. 33:4071(A), (B), (C)(1), and (E), 4074, and 4091; repeals R.S. 33:4071(C)(2)
and (3))